England: Who would you like to see on the next £20 bank note?

(TheTelegraph) 05/19/15 - The Bank of England is asking for the public's help to find the right historical character to be portrayed on the new £20 note.

Mark Carney, Governor, has asked members of the public to nominate a historical figure from the visual arts to adorn the next note.

Whoever is chosen by a panel of experts will replace Adam Smith, the Scottish economist.

Candidates for the next note could include William Blake, designer Alexander McQueen, or J.M.W. Turner, the landscape painter.

Anyone still living, or fictional characters, will not be accepted by the Bank. The chosen character will be unveiled early next year, and will be featured on a £20 note brought into circulation in three to five years from now.

Mr Carney said: "There are a wealth of individuals within the field of visual arts whose work shaped British thought, innovation, leadership, values and society and who continue to inspire people today."

"I greatly look forward to hearing from the public who they would like to celebrate," he said. Nominations can be submitted via the Bank's website.

Artist John Akomfrah, design writer Alice Rawsthorn, and critic Andrew Graham-Dixon will be among the individuals entrusted to decide on which figure will eventually be chosen.

The Bank said that it would take account of past individuals who have appeared on its notes, as it "intends to celebrate achievement and contribution across a wide range of skills and fields and aims, through time, to depict characters with varied personal characteristics, such that our choices cumulatively reflect the diverse nature of British society".

Controversial characters are likely to be rejected, as the notes "are designed to be universally used and accepted, so the Bank will seek to avoid individuals who would be unduly divisive", it said.

The public consultation follows a high profile campaign in 2013 to ensure that female characters - apart from the Queen - appeared on banknotes, after the Bank said it was ending circulation of the £5 note featuring Elizabeth Fry.

The campaign triggered the selection of Jane Austen for the next £10 note, which will go into circulation in 2017.

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